Choice-less
by Meda the Practical Cat
Summary: When Jemima finds out she won't have a say in who her mate will be, she turns to Tom for comfort. Little does she know that they will fall in love.
1. Chapter 1

**Thanks for checking out my story. This chapter is kind of short, since its just the intro. I hope you like it. Please review!**

 **(And I included the Jellicle Ball in here. It is kind of like the prologue to the prologue. Its reallh poorly written, and it can be skipped. It's not important.)**

 **And I don't own Cats.**

Jemima was used to being flirted with.

It was no secret that her mate would end up taking over her Father's position as Protector. That was how it worked. If the first born was a boy, he would end up being Protector, and then Leader. If the heir was a girl, her mate would take over. So therefore, all the Toms flirted with Jemima. She hated that rule more than anything. Most Toms viewed her as the pretty Queen that came with power. She was a prize to be won. And Jemima wished she was able to lead the tribe herself. She would often stand on top of the car, and ask the moon for guidance.

It was the night of her first Jellicle Ball. She stood off to the side, prepared to enter. Jemima smiled as her parents sang the first lines of the Ball. Finally, it was her turn to sing. She was grateful for the solo, but it didn't really display her voice well enough. "Can you find your way blind when you're lost in the street?" Before she knew it, she was swooning over the Rum Tum Tugger. And then, a strange old cat entered, and Jemima felt pity. She could not believe how poorly everyone treated Grizabella the Glamour Cat. The way the kitten looked at Pouncival after he scratched the old Queen made Pouncival cringe. While they danced, Alonzo tried to flirt with Jemima. She hated the stuck up Tom, but she flirted back so she didn't appear rude. Then, it was time for the mating dance. Jemima wasn't looking forward to taking part in it, but she knew it was mandatory. She sat off to the side. A paw touched her back, making her force a smile. Jemima turned around to face Pouncival. At least she would do the mating dance with her friend. After another entrance by Grizabella, Jemima listened to Old Deuteronomy sang the "Moments of Happiness." Most cats were confusedd, but Jemima understood it. When Tantomile grabbed her paw, Jemima realized Old Deuteronomy wanted her to sing. Jemima stood up, and the words flew outward, and her voice was divine. The rest of the Ball was a blurr of singing, and Jemima was very excited when Grizabella got chosen. It took courage to stand in front of everyone and sing.

When the Ball was over, the Cats each retreated to their dens. All except for Jemima, who sat on top of the car staring at the moon.

"Jemi!" A voice called. Jemima opened her eyes. Had she really fallen asleep?

"Jemi! Your parents are worried sick! Where have you been?" Jemima saw Victoria staring up at her.

"Sorry Vic, I fell asleep out here." Jemima ignored Victoria's raised eyebrow, and hopped down to join her best friend.

"There you are!" A black and white Tom leaped into view. "I was looking for you, Beautiful." Jemima was used to his relentless flirting. "Are you alright?" He put his paw on her cheek, and Victoria rolled her eyes.

"I was fine before you showed up," Jemima muttered. Why did he think she wanted his attention?

"What's that, dearest?" he asked. Jemima felt relieved that he hadn't hear what she said.

"Nothing," Jemima snapped.

"Are you angry with me.

Yes!

"No," Jemima lied. She wished he would leave her alone. It was very unfair. Yes, all the Toms wanted to mate with her, but they saw her as a trophy. In their eyes, she was a pretty Queen that came with an important role in the tribe. After all, when Old Deuteronomy died, Jemima's father, Munkustrap would become the new Leader, and Jemima's mate would be Protector. If only she wasn't the heir. That would make life so easy!

"Jemima and I were just about to have some girl time," Victoria said so that he would go away.

"Well, her father sent me to fetch her," Alonzo said confidently. He seemed to think that his task made him special. "Let's go." He linked arms with Jemima and led her away.

The black kitten turned around and mouthed, "Save me!" to Victoria. Alonzo didn't notice, and led her through the yard. Jemima wished she could escape him. They pair soon came to a halt. Plato stood in their way.

"Hey cutie," he said cooly to Jemima.

"Leave her alone!" Alonzo hissed.

"I could say the same to you," Plato smirked. "I'll catch you later," he said to Jemima as he stepped out of their way. The pair continued on, having similar encounters with Tumblebrutus, George and Tugger. The two finally got to Munkustrap's den.

The two entered to find Munkustrap and his mate, Demeter, waiting. "Sweeite, we have reallly exciting news!" Demeter beamed with excitement.

"As you know,"Munkustrap started another one of his long speeches, "you are heir to the leadership. Your mate will someday take on very important responsibilities. When I was a kit, my father had me mate with a very special Queen. She was a Queen that could handle the pressure our family felt. I am very grateful for that,

"Because of that, I've decided that you should be paired with someone who could fulfill his duties. My second in command, Alonzo seemed like the perfect choice. You two will make a great couple I am sure. After all, it's time for you to become an adult." Alonzo beamed. Jemima's jaw dropped. Her freedom was being ripped away!

"Father!" Her voice was loud and panicked.

"Yes dear?" Munkustrap asked.

"Father…" Her voice trailed off.

"Alonzo, dear, can we talk to our daughter alone?" Demeter asked. Alonzo nodded and skipped away. He was too excited to see how upset the young Queen was.

"Father! Why can't I have a choice?"

"What if your choice won't be a good leader? It's a sacrifice we must make for the tribe! After all, my father picked Demeter as my mate, and I love her more than life itself." Jemima groaned.

"This is unfair!" she yelled and marched away. Perhaps the fresh air outside would help her relax. The Scarlet Queen climbed on top of a pile of garbage. What she didn't realize is that a black Tom was also there. "This is so unfair!" she whined to herself.

"What is so unfair?" asked Mistoffelees.

"Life!" Jemima sighed. Mistoffelees, or Quaxo, was the one Tom who always treated her with respect.

"What aspect of life?" he asked calmly.

"Well Quaxo," she called him by his nickname, "my father is forcing me to mate with Alonzo."

"Poor thing," he muttered with sympathy. Quaxo never liked Alonzo.

"Apparently he would 'make a good leader.'" Jemima rolled her eyes as tears began to fall. "But I don't love him! I don't even like him!" She cried into his chest as he stroked back. There was nothing he could say to comfort her. Quaxo couldn't even comfort himself. He tried to ignore the pang of disappointment he felt at the news.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for reading chapter 2! I am very pleased with this, and I hope you enjoy. Please follow and/or review. You are also welcome to go read my other story.**

For hours, Jemima sobbed. It didn't comfort her, yet she felt a bit better when she was done. It didn't change the horror she felt about her situation. Quazo didn't really seem to mind. In fact, he actually enjoyed having the young Queen nearby. If only it was under better circumstances that she sat in his arms. "Jem, it will be alright. You will learn to love Alonzo eventually, right?" Misto finally spoke.

That made Jemima start to sob again. "I can't! I never will live him! He treats me so awfully and he is so stuck up!"

"Jemima, more than anything I wish I could take your pain away. I can't. I would love for my magic to be able to take your pain away. I know I can't though." He whispered to her.

"I know you would. You are so sweet Quaxo. That's why you're my best friend." Tears dripped off of her face and landed on Quaxo's lap. Every teardrop that fell through his fur onto his skin made him feel horrible. It was unfair that a sweet, young Queen like Jemima would have to suffer.

"Jemima, your family will wonder where you are," Quaxo said gently.

"Why can't I run away? I don't need the tribe to be happy. I can live on my own."

"Macavity is out there, waiting to strike again. You're the heir to the tribe and a pretty young Queen." Jemima blushed. "He would love to catch you." Quaxo tried to reason with her.

"I know, but I can't sit around and let my parents decide my life," Jemima whined. "And besides, one Alonzo and I mate, then it's his turn to decide my life." She winced. "I don't know what he'll do. We all know how horrible Alonzo is." Quaxo balled his hand into fists. He hated to see Jemima like this. He would lose it if Alonzo disrespected his Queen. "And besides, what if my heart has already been taken by a Tom."

"Do you think he likes you back?" asked Quaxo. He hoped that the Tom was him.

"I have no idea and I am afraid to ask him," Jemima admitted.

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if he did," Quaxo put his arm around her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" It sounded as though she were interrogating him.

"Whatever you want it to mean," Quaxo said gently.

"Well, umm, I hope you're talking about yourself," she confessed. "I hope you mean that you like me. Because I like you Quaxo. You're the only Tom here that treats me right. I wished you could be my mate."

"So do I." He held her close, as though he could shield her from the world. Mistoffelees stroked Jemima's fur. They held paws for a minute, in silence. They contemplated their situation. Suddenly, Quaxo felt someone's lips touch his. His eyes widened as he kissed her back.

The two separated and looked at each other in silence. Finally, Jemima broke the silence. "So what do we do?"

"We can figure that out, can't we?" asked Mistoffelees. "But I never ever, want to give you up to a horrible snob like Alonzo."

"I know," Jemima agreed, and they me for one more kiss before Jemima scurried away back into her den, where she found her parents alseep.

Going to sleep was easy, as she felt exhausted. Yet thoughts of Quaxo and Alonzo flooded her dreams, and some were more pleasant than others. When she woke up, Jemima stroked her fur into place, and leaped outside to where she met Quaxo the day before. Hopefully he would think to join her.

Jemima waited for what felt like hours, but what was really twenty minutes. Quaxo climbed up to her perch, and she immediately enshrouded him in a hug. "I can't mate with him," she whispered in his ear. "I love you."

Quaxo shut his eyes. This would only make it harder. Yet, he loved her. They've loved each other for years, but they were too afraid to admit it. Now it was too late. A spark of hope flashed in Jemima's eyes. "Let's run away together. We don't need the tribe for protection. We'll have each other."

Quaxo shook his head. "You and I both no you can't do that. We both wish we could, but we never will. I don't want to hurt you more than I have too." He turned and ran off.

"Quaxo! Wait! You won't ever hurt me! Its not your fault!" Jemima sat down, beginning to cry.

"Jemima! We haven't seen you since yesterday! We need to talk!" She heart her mother call her. Wiping away the tears, Jemima climbed down at walked to her den.

Her parents and Alonzo met her outside. "There you are, dear," Alonzo smiled. "I haven't seen you in ages."

Jemima forced a smile. "It was just a day. Remember, dear, patience is a virtue." Jemima added a harmless and shallow giggle to make it seem like a joke. Her parents gave her scolding looks, but Alonzo didn't seem to notice.

"Not many Queens have such with," Alonzo smiled.

"And even less Toms," Jemima smirked. Her parents' eyes widened. "So what was so important that you had to yell for all the Yard to hear to get my attention?"

"Well dear," Demeter started, "we think its time to start the mating process with Alonzo." Demeter smiled, and Jemima couldn't hide her frown.

"We're going to announce your mateship tonight," Munkustrap added. "And then everyone will get to see how happy you two are together." Alonzo nodded, but Jemima realized his purpose in saying that. He was asking her to behave.

That night, all the Jellicles gathered in the main yard to hear Munkustrap's big news. Jennyanydots And Jellylorum sat closely together, with Asparagus and Skimbleshanks directly behind them. Bustopher Jones and Gus sat on bits of trash behind them. Bombalurina sat as close to the tire as she could. The tire held Jemima and her family, Old Deuteronomy and Alonzo. The kittens, consisting of Electra, Etcetera, Pouncival and Tumblebrutus, sat as far away from the uptight Jennyanydots as they could. They were goofing off and being very loud. Victoria sat with her arm around Plato, looking up at Jemima with concern. She hadn't seen her friend since Alonzo came to fetch her. George sat right behind Victoria, with Tugger standing in the back. Cassandra and the Mystical Twins sat up front, as close to Old Deuteronomy as they could possibly be without sitting on the tire. Finally, Mistoffelees sat all alone in the back.

Jemima gave her love a real smile, in contrast to the fake on splattered across her face. She inhaled as her father started to speak.

"We are gathered to celebrate the mateship of Jemima and Alonzo." Everyone gasped. Victoria looked up at her best friend with pity. "They are not mates today, but they will be by tomorrow morning." Jemima could hardly hide the shock on her face. "Today, Jemima will officially become a Queen, and then a mate. For, there is nothing better and more rewarding than mateship."

Where was Quaxo? He had left and there was no trail to reveal wherehe had gone. Jemima winced, as everyone began to cheer for her and Alonzo's "love." This was all wrong. She wanted to turn and run away and never stop. This was the worst day of her life. She tried to think of a way out, as she tuned out the rest of the speech. Before she knew it, Jemima was being led away by Alonzo. She shut her eyes and tried to imagine she was somewhere else. But there was no escape.

And before she knew it, Jemima was standing in the middle of Alonzo's den.


End file.
